ChurchWorks Parliamentary Reception

On 18 March, Anna Dixon MP hosted a reception in Parliament on behalf of the ChurchWorks Commission, bringing together 130 people, including church leaders, representatives from Christian charities, and more than 30 parliamentarians. The event celebrated and showcased the invaluable role of churches in tackling some of the UK’s most pressing social challenges, with the aim of fostering stronger collaboration between Church and Government going forward. 

While connecting with one another and meeting their local MPs, guests heard from a range of individuals leading transformative church-led initiatives. Speakers included: 

• Emma Malcolm (Bridge Community Church, Bury St Edmunds), who shared her church’s inspiring efforts to support vulnerable children and families.
• Roger Greene (AtaLoss), Tracy Stevens (Crawley Community Church), and Kathy Barker (Kingdom Faith Church Horsham), who spoke about their work providing bereavement support in local communities. 
• Sam Lloyd and Joel Howarth (WAY UK, Swindon), who talked about their work breaking cycles of hospital readmissions, crime, violence, and risk-taking behaviour among young people.
• Paul Blakey (King’s Church, Halifax), who spoke about his involvement in a range of poverty-alleviating initiatives including Street Angels, ROC Angels, and Chilli Tuesdays.

From tackling poverty, to supporting vulnerable families, to running mental health and wellbeing initiatives, the event demonstrated the power of churches and Christian organisations in supporting society’s most vulnerable. We hope the Parliamentarians at the meeting now recognise the Christian community’s transformative impact on society and that this will inspire greater collaboration in future, to address key social challenges together. 

Overall, the event was a great success, providing strong momentum for the future work of the ChurchWorks Commission.

In order to continue building strong relationships between the Church and Government, we encourage you to reach out to your local MPs and invite them to visit your churches and organisations. This will give them the opportunity to witness firsthand the transformative impact of the christian community and hopefully lead to increased support and collaboration going forward. Find your local MP’s email address here: Find MPs - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament. 

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